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Buffalo Sabres Extend Lukas Rousek

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The Buffalo Sabres have made their second signing of the day, handing out a two-year contract extension to forward Lukas Rousek per his agent, Dan Milstein. Financial terms have not yet been reported.

Buffalo selected the 24-year-old in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, but he’s quickly worked his way up the organizational depth chart after a breakout 2022-23 campaign with the AHL’s Rochester Americans.

Making his NHL debut this season, the Czech winger scored a goal and an assist in two appearances and added 56 points in 70 regular-season games with Rochester. It comes after he recorded just four points in 19 games there last year, his first season in North America.

His offensive breakout didn’t come completely out of the blue, though. His point totals were climbing up during the end of his time in Czechia, recording 38 points in 49 games in 2020-21 with HC Sparta Praha, his final season before coming stateside. He’ll almost certainly find himself out the outside looking in on opening night next season, but that’s more a testament to the depth of young forwards the Sabres have cultivated in recent years. If injuries hit the team, he’ll surely be one of their first call-up options and should build on his NHL games played total next season.

Buffalo Sabres Re-Sign Zemgus Girgensons

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The longest-tenured member of the Buffalo Sabres is sticking around for another season. Center Zemgus Girgensons has signed a one-year, $2.5MM contract to stay in Buffalo, keeping one of the team’s most integral leaders in the organization. CapFriendly confirms the entirety of Girgensons’ deal is paid in base salary.

The 29-year-old Latvian just completed his ninth year as a Sabre and has settled in as a reliable enough bottom-six pivot over the past couple of seasons, although he has played much of his career on the wing. Selected 14th overall in 2012, Girgensons never did hit his ceiling coming up through one of the darkest eras in Sabres history, which makes his desire to stick around all the more justified – he wants to see Buffalo’s rebuild through rather than looking for more term on the open market.

Girgensons matched his point totals from 2021-22 this past season, scoring 10 goals and eight assists, but it took him 80 games to do so. His offense has never been a strong suit, though – in fact, he’d never put up consecutive double-digit goal seasons until his last three campaigns. Still, he’s far from a liability defensively, with some advanced metrics going so far as to label him one of the best pure shutdown centers in the league.

It hasn’t been an easy road to consistency for Girgensons, either. A hamstring injury kept him out for the entire (albeit shortened) 2020-21 campaign, and he missed more than 20 games the following year with various injuries.

He’ll attempt to make the playoffs for the first time in his career next season with a slight pay bump. Buffalo had signed him to a three-year, $2.2MM average annual value deal before the 2020-21 season. It’s certainly fair compensation for his role with the Sabres, on and off the ice.

General manager Kevyn Adams had this to say earlier in the offseason:

Zemgus is, I would call it, a quiet leader, goes about his business but cares about his teammates and teammates care about him. He’s literally the same every game. There’s very little drop off [or] ups and downs with him.

He’ll likely reprise a fourth-line role next season, and he joins a Sabres team that’s already filled out with youngsters but still looking to add in free agency. With depth crunches coming at forward, it’s fair to wonder what today’s news means for Tyson Jost, a pending restricted free agent who gave the team some decent depth scoring after being claimed on waivers from the Minnesota Wild early in the season. If the team believes better options are attainable on the open market, he could go unqualified.

Sabres Reportedly Have Interest In Brett Pesce

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  • Like DeBrincat, Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Brett Pesce has the chance to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. On Insider Trading, LeBrun reported that while contract talks on an extension are continuing between Pesce and Carolina, the Hurricanes are “pretty resolute” that they’ll be trading him this summer if they can’t secure his signature on a new deal. LeBrun also adds that the Buffalo Sabres have already inquired about the possibility of trading for Pesce, potentially to be Owen Power’s long-term partner. It’s likely that the widely-respected 28-year-old blueliner would garner significant trade interest if put on the market. He just finished a year where he made a major impact on both ends of the ice, setting a career-high of 30 points while also serving as a leading penalty killer for a Carolina shorthanded unit that consistently ranks among the best in the NHL.

Evening Notes: Sabres, Bezeau, USHL

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News reported today that the Buffalo Sabres are in contract discussions with a pair of former first overall picks. The Sabres are trying to work out extensions with franchise defenseman Rasmus Dahlin as well as Owen Power who was a workhorse in his rookie season. Both men are eligible for to sign contract extensions on July 1st and have expressed interest in inking long-term with the Sabres. Lysowski acknowledges that the Sabres don’t have any rush to sign either man to an extension as they both still have a year left on their current deals, but if they were to get the new contracts done on July 1st it would give the Sabres some cost certainty as they head into free agency at what is a critical point in their rebuild.

Dahlin will be looking for a long-term contract and could get something in the range of $9MM to $10MM on a long-term deal. The Swedish defender is coming off a season in which he put up 15 goals and 58 assists in 78 games while playing almost 26 minutes a night. For Power, he could sign long term but may elect to sign a bridge deal in the hopes of maximizing his earnings when he is more established and the salary cap has gone up. In his rookie season he played almost 24 minutes a night and had four goals and 31 assists in 79 games.

In other evening notes:

  • The Charlotte Checkers have announced that they have re-signed right winger Riley Bezeau to a two-year AHL contract. Bezeau spent this past season in the Queen City putting up five goals and three assists in 51 AHL games and finishing second on the team with 84PIM. The 21-year-old was previously an assistant captain of the Saint John Sea Dogs team that captured the Memorial Cup in 2021-22 in a season that saw him post 11 goals and 16 assists in 56 games.
  • The USHL announced today that Glenn Hefferan has been selected as the 11th president and commissioner in league history. Heffernan will take over on July 1st and is familiar with USA hockey having been a board and committee member for several years in various capacities as well as a member of the USA Hockey Executive Committee since June 2021. Back in 2012 Heffernan was awarded the Dr. John J. McMullen Award for service to New Jersey Amateur Hockey, an award he was given by the New Jersey Devils.

Buffalo Sabres Not Extending ECHL Affiliation With Cincinnati

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Evening Notes: Olofsson, Senators, Andersen

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Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News wrote today that Buffalo Sabres forward Victor Olofsson, and his representatives expect him to be traded prior to the start of training camp in September. Olofsson has spent his entire five-year career with the Sabres where he has put up 167 points in 263 NHL games. This news isn’t all that surprising given that the soon to be 28-year-old is just a year away from being an unrestricted free agent and he was a healthy scratch for the Sabres down the stretch while they were battling for a playoff position.

The Swedish forward has been remarkably consistent in his career notching at least 20 goals in three of his last four seasons with the lockout shortened 2020-21 season being the one year he didn’t reach the mark. This past season Olofsson set a career high with 28 goals in 75 games to go along with 12 assists, but he has been made expendable by the emergence of several Sabres forward prospects and his pricey $4.75MM cap hit. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams has reportedly been very active on the trade market as he tries to get Buffalo back to the playoffs for the first time in 12 years.

In other evening notes:

  • The sale of the Ottawa Senators franchise may finally be entering its final days. This is according to Bruce Garrioch of Postmedia who has been tirelessly reporting on the process. It seems likely that the new owner will be either Michael Andlauer or Jeffrey and Michael Kimel of the Harlo Capital Group, however Los Angeles producer Neko Sparks remains in the mix but seems less likely to be the preferred bidder. League sources told Garrioch that they are confident there are no more major hurdles to clear leading them to believe they are on the verge of closing out the eight-month process. It’ll be interesting to see if the bid comes close to the $1B bid that was apparently posted by Steve Apostolopoulos, who has since left the bidding after he reportedly became frustrated with the process.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes tweeted today that defender Amalie Andersen has inked a one-year contract with the Buffalo Beauts and become the first Danish born player to sign in the Premier Hockey Federation. The 23-year-old is the younger sister of Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen and played four years at the University of Maine where she put up two goals and seven assists in 60 career games. The Beauts are one of the founding teams in the PHF having started with three other clubs back in 2015 while the league was named the National Women’s Hockey League.

Arbitration Eligibility Could Make Jost Non-Tender Candidate

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  • Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli suggests that Sabres center Tyson Jost’s arbitration eligibility could be problematic for Buffalo this offseason. The 25-year-old was claimed off waivers back in November and is owed a $2.25MM qualifying offer.  However, Seravalli points out that Jost’s career numbers are similar to Andrew Copp’s two years ago and the former Winnipeg forward was awarded a $3.64MM AAV in a hearing.  Such a price tag for Jost would be difficult to justify which makes him a decent non-tender candidate if a deal can’t be reached before the deadline at the end of the month.

AHL Announces Inaugural Top Prospects Team

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Ahead of the 2023 Calder Cup Finals, which starts tonight between the Coachella Valley Firebirds and Hershey Bears, the AHL has released a new award that will intrigue hockey fans across the country. The AHL Top Prospects Team is a group of players that may not be in the minor leagues for much longer.

This year’s group includes:

Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The 21-year-old Foerster was selected 23rd overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020 and is one of the OHL players forced into the AHL during the 2020-21 season. Even as a teenager, he showed great scoring ability and returned this year to put up 20 goals and 48 points in 66 games.

Foerster made his NHL debut as well, suiting up eight times with the Flyers and putting up seven points—a taste of what will come next for the young forward.

Jiri Kulich, Rochester Americans

The Rochester club has seen several talented forwards come through in recent years, and Kulich is just the latest after being selected 28th overall in 2022 by the Buffalo Sabres. Coming over from the Czech Republic at just 18, he proved he was ready for North American professional hockey by scoring 24 goals and 46 points in 62 games.

Kulich was even better postseason, where he potted seven goals in 12 games. Only turning 19 in April, he was among the league’s youngest players this season.

Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs

Anyone who has watched Reichel this season can see his time in the minor leagues should be over. The 17th overall selection in 2020 made his NHL debut for the Chicago Blackhawks last season and looked overwhelmed. Not so a year later, when he scored seven goals and 15 points in 23 games in the NHL.

The 21-year-old forward has been a dynamic offensive threat since the moment he joined Rockford, with career totals of 108 points in 111 games to this point.

David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters

If it were a more important season for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Jiricek might not have played a full season in the minor leagues. The 19-year-old defenseman was a menace at the AHL level, scoring six goals and 38 points in 55 games.

Known more for his size and blistering shot during his draft year, the 2022 sixth-overall pick showed improved poise and vision, leading to some lofty expectations in Columbus. Before long, he’ll be a full-time anchor on the Blue Jackets’ blue line.

Simon Nemec, Utica Comets

The other top defenseman from the 2022 draft class was Nemec, who didn’t disappoint in his rookie season. Selected second overall by the New Jersey Devils, the 19-year-old defenseman put up 12 goals and 34 points in 65 games.

Nemec has a wildly entertaining style that sees him fly all over the ice, making unpredictable plays regularly. While he may still take some unreasonable risks, he has a higher ceiling than almost any defensive prospect in the league, and should add that excitement to the Devils group soon enough.

Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild

It was a pretty solid North American debut for Wallstedt, who posted a .908 save percentage in 38 AHL games. The big Swede was the 20th overall pick in 2021 and could buck the trend of goaltenders taking years to develop.

There was obvious growth in Wallstedt’s game during his first season in the AHL, and despite being just 20, he should already be factoring into the Minnesota Wild’s decision-making in net. They already have a young starter in Filip Gustavsson but may not need a backup for long.

Lawrence Pilut Signs In Switzerland

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It’s back overseas for Lawrence Pilut, who has yet to find any sort of consistency in his professional hockey career. The defenseman has signed a contract with Lausanne HC of the Swiss National League that runs through the 2024-25 season.

Pilut, 27, is scheduled for unrestricted free agency this summer after re-joining the Buffalo Sabres in 2022-23. The Swedish defender played 17 games at the NHL level this year, spending most of his time in the minors with the Rochester Americans.

That sentence could describe most of his time in North America, as, despite rather strong results, Pilut has been constantly shuffled between the two levels. He first joined the Sabres in 2018 after a breakout campaign in the SHL and played 33 games in the NHL. That was followed by 13 appearances in 2019-20, before he decided to head to the KHL for two years.

Overall, Pilut has played 63 NHL games, registering nine points. A two-year deal in Switzerland doesn’t necessarily rule out a North American return, but it does make it much less likely.

He will be free to sign with anyone down the road, but his chance at becoming an NHL regular has likely passed.

Sabres Sign Ryan Johnson To Entry-Level Deal

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There had been some question as to whether Ryan Johnson would sign with Buffalo or test free agency later this summer.  In the end, he opted to stay with the team that drafted him as the team announced that they’ve signed the defenseman to a two-year, entry-level contract that begins next season.  Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The 21-year-old was a first-round pick by Buffalo back in 2019 (31st overall) out of Sioux Falls of the USHL.  Johnson then went to college at the University of Minnesota but didn’t exactly light it up, scoring just twice in his first two seasons.  However, he showed considerable improvement in his junior year and carried that over to 2022-23 where he picked up 18 points in 40 games for the Golden Gophers.

Had Buffalo not signed Johnson or if he decided that he wanted to test free agency, the Sabres would have received a compensatory second-round selection.  Instead, they’ll get an opportunity to add another young defender to their system, joining Nikita Novikov and Vsevolod Komarov who both signed recently as well.

While Johnson hasn’t played since the end of his college campaign, he has been assigned to AHL Rochester with the Americans still playing in the playoffs.  Given how long he has been out, it would be surprising to see him suit up right away but if the Amerks move on to the Calder Cup Final, Johnson might get a chance to make his pro debut this season.

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